CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Recently, as I was standing in line at the base exchange waiting to check out, I witnessed an unbelievable lack of respect from two young Airmen. They were standing by the entrance talking when a major general walked through the door. He asked the two Airmen how they were doing, and I couldn't believe their response. They both looked at him and said, "good, man."
I had to check my ears because I just knew I was hearing things. No way did I just hear two Airmen say that to a general. The first word of the response was fine, but that second word was way off. That incident got me thinking about respect and its importance.
Respect has great importance in everyday life. As children, we are taught (one hopes) to respect our parents, teachers and elders. In basic training, we are taught to respect those of higher rank and our country's flag, but most importantly we are taught to respect each other.
Have you ever heard the saying "you have to give respect to get respect?" How about the saying "respect is not automatic it has to be earned?" In the above case, the general was very respectful when he asked, "how are you gentlemen doing today?" He has earned respect based on his rank and experience. The Airmen failed to return the proper respect.
Another area I see lacking is junior-ranking Airmen not paying the proper respect when a senior-ranking member walks into the room. When you work with people of higher rank on a daily basis, it is easy to become complacent. Even though you might not see a problem, the message it sends to others is a poor one. When you address someone, think about the way you would like to be treated and give that person the same respect you would want to receive. When someone senior in rank approaches you, stand up unless told to remain seated.
Our Air Force is rich in tradition and heritage. Those that came before us laid the basic principles on which we still operate today; honor, loyalty and, last but certainly not least, respect.